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Sunday, July 29, 2018

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: The Human League- 'Don't You Want Me'

I was working as a waitress in a cocktail barThat much is trueBut even then I knew I'd find a much better placeEither with or without youThe five years we have had have been such good at timesI still love youBut now I think it's time I lived my life on my ownI guess it's just what I must doDon't. Don't you want me?You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see meDon't. Don't you want me?You know I don't believe you when you say that you don't need me

I have to admit, I don't really remember a ton about being 11-years-old but there is one thing that does stick in my head and that's that 1982 was the year of The Human League in my house. I'm not sure if my dad was still working in radio at the time but he certainly still had his radio buddies and the ability to get his hands on any new music from just about anywhere. In late 1981 The Human League released Dare, their third studio album which didn't really strike too much of a cord here in the states, until they dropped "Don't You Want Me" and it's unforgettable video.

I'm really not sure what it was about the video that made it become so iconic but for whatever reason, the visuals really stuck and somehow felt way ahead of their time. My dad didn't just love "Don't You Want Me" but he had to get his hands on a special German (I think) extended mix import that featured machine guns on the track during the chorus. Dad had a stereo that rivaled whatever you'd find in any radio station and he always cranked things up as loud as he could get away with. This version of this song, drove my mother completely out of her mind. It was the heavy artillery fire mixed in with those synth beats that drove her out of her mind and caused some serious fights. She would complain and it seemed for awhile there like The Human League was in some serious heavy rotation.

"Don't You Want Me" is one of those songs that I seriously connect to grade school and it seemed to pop up on a regular basis for several years of my life. I talked to my dad recently to try and convince him to come for a visit. Some health issues prevented that from happening but he recently made a point of telling me that he was listening to The Human League, making it pretty clear that I'm not the only one that remembers the drama that their song caused.

Ironically enough, my sister visited this past weekend and while we game planned how to get dad to travel a bit, "Don't You Want Me" was on in the car no less than four times out of sheer coincidence. I'm pretty sure dad's presence was indeed here in some way.